Permanent Representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations

Permanent representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations is the head of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations in New York City. Tajikistan was admitted to the United Nations on 2 March 1992. The position has been held by Jonibek Hikmat since April 2021.

Role and responsibilities

The permanent representative serves as Tajikistan's highest-ranking diplomatic envoy to the UN and is responsible for articulating the country's positions on international peace, security, development, and human rights. The representative is appointed and dismissed by a decree of the President of Tajikistan and reports to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Key responsibilities include:

• Advancing national interests: Representing Tajikistan in the General Assembly, the Security Council (when Tajikistan holds a non-permanent seat), and other UN forums.
• Promoting thematic priorities: Championing issues central to Tajikistan's foreign policy, such as water security, glacier protection, and sustainable development. In September 2026, the current representative introduced a resolution to designate 31 August as the "International Day of Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence."
• Multilateral and regional cooperation: Emphasising collaboration between the UN and regional organisations such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on issues like counter-terrorism and drug trafficking.
• Election to UN bodies: Seeking leadership positions for Tajikistan within UN agencies. For example, Tajik representatives have served as Vice-President of the ECOSOC, President of the UNICEF Executive Board, and Vice-President of the UN Women Executive Board.
• High-level liaison: Engaging with senior UN officials (e.g., Under-Secretaries-General, heads of UN funds and programmes) to discuss UN reforms, sustainable development goals, and Tajikistan's initiatives.
• Advocating for landlocked developing countries (LLDCs): Given Tajikistan's geography, the representative actively advances the interests and concerns of LLDCs in UN deliberations.

Organisational structure

The Permanent Mission is headed by the permanent representative and includes a Deputy Permanent Representative and a team of counsellors, first secretaries, and other diplomatic staff. The mission also has accredited representatives for specialised agencies based outside New York, including:

• Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva – concurrently the Ambassador to Switzerland. As of 2026, this post is held by Manuchehr Jobir.
• Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Vienna – concurrently the Ambassador to Austria. This position is also held by Manuchehr Jobir (as of 2026).

All envoys enjoy diplomatic immunity from civil, administrative, and criminal jurisdiction, as well as immunity from testifying, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

List of permanent representatives

The following is a list of Tajikistan's permanent representatives to the United Nations:

Office holders

Lakim Kayumov (1992–1994)

Lakim Kayumov was the first permanent representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations, serving from 1992 to 1994.

Rashid Alimov (1994–2005)

Rashid Alimov served as permanent representative from 28 December 1994 to December 2005. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan from 1992 to 1994. After his tenure at the UN, he served as Ambassador to China (2005–2015) and as Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2016–2018). In October 2001, he addressed the General Assembly on measures to combat international terrorism following the September 11 attacks.

Sirodjidin Aslov (2005–2013)

Sirodjidin M. Aslov was appointed permanent representative on 14 December 2005. Prior to his appointment, he served as Tajikistan's First Deputy Foreign Minister from 2004 and as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea from 2002 to 2005. From 1996 to 2004, he served as his country's permanent representative to the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. He spent 16 years with Tajikistan's Ministry of Environment, including a term as Deputy Chief of the Hydrometeorological Service (1995–1996). In 2004 and 2005, he served as Tajikistan's Coordinator to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He is the author of three monographs and some 40 articles on environmental and hydrometeorological issues. In 2007, he told the General Assembly that "power actions alone will not be able to uproot terrorism" and that more comprehensive approaches were needed. He served as President of the Jury for the 2013 edition of the "Water for Life" UN-Water Best Practices Award.

Mahmadamin Mahmadaminov (2014–2021)

Mahmadamin Mahmadaminov presented his credentials to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 25 February 2014. Before his appointment, he served as Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Tajikistan. He was elected Vice President of the ECOSOC for the 2018 session from the Asia-Pacific Group. In 2019, he addressed the UN Security Council debate on Afghanistan. He paid a farewell call on Secretary-General António Guterres in April 2021 upon the conclusion of his tenure.

Jonibek Hikmat (2021–present)

Jonibek Ismoil Hikmat presented his credentials to the UN Secretariat in April 2021. Born in 1982, he holds a bachelor's degree from Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus and an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. Hikmat previously served as Deputy Head of the Department for International Organizations and Chief of the UN Section in Tajikistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2019–2021 and 2014–2016). He was First Secretary and Counsellor at Tajikistan's Permanent Mission to the UN (2016–2019), Second Secretary at the embassies in the United States and the United Kingdom (2010–2014), and held various other positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission from 2005 onward. Hikmat was elected Vice President of the UN General Assembly for the 77th session (2022–2023). He served as Vice President of the UNICEF Executive Board (2023–2024) and was elected President of the UNICEF Executive Board for 2025. He also served as Vice President of the Executive Board of UN Women in 2024. He was elected Chair of the 60th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development (CPD). In January 2026, Hikmat met with UN Under-Secretary-General Rabab Fatima to discuss strengthening coordination among landlocked developing countries, UN reforms, and Tajikistan's water and glacier initiatives. On 1 September 2026, he introduced a resolution in the General Assembly designating 31 August as the "International Day of Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence."

See also

• Foreign relations of Tajikistan
• Tajikistan and the United Nations
• List of current permanent representatives to the United Nations
• ECOSOC
• UNICEF

External links

• United Nations
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan